Foundry-sand mixer



June 19, 1928. 1,673,927

J. F. TURNER FOUNDRY SAND MIXER Filed Nov. 2, 1927 Patented June 19,1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. TURNER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO FLYNlil' & EMRICI-ICOM- PANY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

FOUNDRY-SAN D MIXER.

Application filed November In the mixing of foundry sand and core sandvarious adhesives are used to cause the sand to retain the form of themold, also the sand being used repeatedly in successive moldingoperations accumulates dbris. The presence of the adhesive and debriscreates a tendency to clog the mixingappa ratus. Nhile this mixingoperation has been performed to a large extent by hand, it can be donemuch more quickly and economically by meansof a high speed beater orstirring apparatus, most conveniently operated by an electric motor, butthe use of high speed apparatus creates a tendency to scattering of thesand by centrifugal force, projecting it outwardly at high speed, andwhere power has been employed the difficulty incident to protecting themotor and bearings from the sand and grit used in the machine has beendifficult to overcome.

The present invention relates to a foundry sand mixing machine which ismotor driven, the motor being above the heating or stirring apparatus,which is mounted directly on the motor shaft dispensing with gearing andeliminating all working parts in the vicinity of the grit with theexception of a single bearing beneath the beater.

The apparatus alsoincludes a funnel for. feeding the sand to the mixerand a hood enclosing the heater and interposed in the path of thedischarged material, intercepting all particles projected outwardly anddeflecting them down into the receptacle or bin placed beneath theheater for the reception of the mixed material.

The apparatus has the further advantage that the funnel and hood areformed in sections which can be instantaneously separated and swungbackwardly one away from the other completely exposing the mixing memberwhich is preferably in the form of a disk mounted on the motor shaftdirectly beneath the motor and provided with upright pins spacedapartand adapted to en gage and stir the sand and other materials as they arepoured downwardly through the funnel onto the disk. I

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a foundry sand mixingmachine embodying the features of my invention in the preferred form.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a. perspective view of the ma 2, 1927. Serial N0. 230,424.

chine with the funnel and hood open to expose the beater for cleaning.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section showing the disk and bearing.

Referring to the drawingsby numerals, each of which is used toindicatethe same or similar parts in the difierent figures, the machine,as shown, comprises an upright frame 1 having at the top or in a corresponding position a motor support 2 with clamping means 3 by which anelectric motor 4 is held on the support, thesame having its axisvertical and its shaft 5 dependmg.

The machine also includes the sand mixer or beater 6 with a funnel 7 andhood 8, the funnel and hood being shown as an integral structure spliton a central vertical plane into two equal opposite registering'sections9 and 10 which may be swung into and out of registration or closedcontact. The section 9 is mounted on a hinge 11 projecting on one sideof the frame member 12 at one side of the machine and the section 10 ismounted on a hinge 14: projecting on the opposite side of the otherframe member 15.

While the sections 9 and 10 of the funnel 7 and hood 8 are shown inFigure 1 as widely separated exposing the beater for cleaning, repairsor replacements, these sectious can be swung instantaneously into closedposition, not shown, and in this position they may be locked or clampedby means of locking levers 16 engaging cooperating lugs 17 on thesections, particularly on the hood portions thereof adjacent. the outeror swinging edges 18.

Aside from the accessibility of the beater,

a feature of the invention which is of interest is the arrangement ofthe motor relatively to the beater and shaft. As already pointed out,the motor is placed at the top with its shaft 5 depending. The :beatershaft 20 which may be treated as an extension of the motor shaft is alsoan upright or depending shaft connected to the motor shaft 5 by acoupling 21. The beater shaft 20 extends downwardly to and through thebeater which comprises a disk 22 secured to the shaft near its lower endand studded with upright pins 24 arranged along the periphery of thedisk and extending upwardly therefrom.

The are preferably shouldered at 25.; l

the reduced portions 26 below the shoulders being passed through thedisk and secured at. their lower ends by nuts 27. The heater shaft- :20,as aforesaid, extends downwardly through the disk, the short lower end28 thereof below the disk being provided with a suitable bearing 29carried by a transverse member 30 of the frame 1.

Itis of interest to note that the bearing 29 is protected not only bythe disk 22 but additionally by a depending cylindrical fin on the diskenclosing the hearing which is further formed in a bearing block 36projecting upwardly from the frame member 30. It should also be notedthat the hood 8 is open at the bottom and spaced outwardly from the disk22 to provide for the discharge of the mixed material in a downwarddirection.

In the operation of the machine, the various materials composing thefoundry sand are introduced through the funnel 7 and dropped on thebeater 6 which is rotated at a. high speed by the motor at. The materialthus presented is thoroughly mixed by the rotating heater, the stirringaction of the pins having been explained, and being thrown outwardradially by the centrifugal action of the heater is projected downwardlyby the hood 8 into the bin or other receptacle 37. t

On account of the debris collected by the sand from repeated use it isnecessary to clean the beater from time to time and this is easilyaccomplished by releasing the hood clamps 16 and swinging the hood andfunnel sections 9 and 10 apart to open position, as shown in Figure 1.

The arrangement of the machine with the electric motor at the top andthe beater on the depending shaft of the motor is also of interest, themotor being thus kept out of range of the sand and grit withoutnecessity for elaborate protection. This arrangement also accomplishesthe result that the space around the heater is left free for thecentrifugal. discharge of the mixed material and for the mounting andarrangement of the tunnel and hood so that the sections may be swungfreely from open to closed position and vice versa, as described.

It is of interest to note that while the frame 1 is adapted to rest onfeet or pedestals 31, the machine is also adapted to be suspended bymeans of a hook 332 engaging the eye 33 at the top of the motor clamp,the mixing machine being thus carried from place to place by a travelingcrane or other overhead support, so that the material can be mixed anddelivered at any desired point.

I have thus described specifically and in detail a mixing machineembodying the features of my invention in the preferred form in orderthat the nature and operation of the same may be fully understoodhowever. the specific terms herein are used descriptively rather than ina limiting sense, the scope of the invention being defined in theclaims.

hat I claim as new and desire to s-ecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A foundry sand mixing machine com' prising an electric motor having adepend ing shaft. a rotary mixing member secured to the shaft and spacedbelow the motor, the funnel and hood being formed in two sections, andmeans supporting said sections to swing laterally into contact enclosingthe beater and into open position exposing the same for cleaning.

2. A foundry sand mixing machine having a heater, means for rotating thesame about an upright axis, a hood and funnel enclosing the beater, thefunnel being arranged above the beatcr to feed the material thereto. thefunnel and hood being formed in two sections meeting on an upright planeof intersections, and means for sup 'iorting the respective sections toswing laterally from open to closed position and vice versa, the hood inclosed position being open at the bottom and spaced outwardly from theheater to provide for the downward discharge of the same.

3. A foundry sand mixing machine comprising a heater mounted on avertical axis to rotate in a horizontal plane, a hood enclosing the sameand being open at the bot.- tom, the hood being formed in a plurality ofsections meeting on an upright plane, and means supporting the sectionswhereby they may be moved from open to closed position exposing thebeater for cleaning, etc, in the open position of the sections.

4. A foundry sand mixing machine having a motor. a depending beatershaft connected to the motor shaft, :1 disk mounted on the shaft, abearing for the beater shaft beneath the disk. a. combined funnel andhood for the beater disk. the hood being open at the bottom and spacedoutwardly from the disk as to its bottom edge, the hood and funnel beingin the form of a plurality of registering sections. and pivotal meanssupporting the sections whereby they are permitted to swing laterallyfrom open to closed position and vice versa, exposing the heater forcleaning, etc.

5. A foundry sand mixing machine, a motor at the top. the motor havingits shalt upright, av depending beater shaft connected to the motorshaft. a heater mounted on the shaft, a bearing for the beater shaftbeneath the beater. a combined funnel and hood for the beater, the hoodbeing open at the bottom to provide for the discharge of the materialfrom the beater, the hood and funnel being in the form of a plurality ofregistering sections, and pivotal means on the frame supporting thesections whereby they are permitted to swing laterally from open toclosed position and vice versa, exposing the beater for cleaning andreplacements, and

means at the bottom of the beater enclos- 5 ing and protecting thebearing.

6. A foundry sand mixing machine having a motor at the top, a dependingbeater shaft connected to the motor shaft, a beater disk mounted on theshaft, a bearing for 10 the beater shaft beneath the disk, a combinedfunnel and hood for the beater, the hood being open at the bottom, thehood and funnel being in the form of a plurality of registeringsections, and pivotal means on the frame supporting the sections wherebythey are permitted to swing horizontally from open to closed positionand vice versa, exposing the beater for cleaning and replacements, anupright block supporting the said bearing and a depending fin on thedisk encircling the block to rotect the bearing.

Signed by me at altimore, Maryland, this 28th day of October, 1927.

' JAMES F. TURNER.

